As many cities in the United States release prisoners in order to curb the coronavirus spread through the prison population, other are being denied the right to escape potential infection. Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, is one of them.
Australia’s The West reports:
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been denied bail after arguing that his release from a UK prison would mitigate his “high risk” of catching coronavirus.
The Australian made the application in the Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday, with less than 15 people in attendance due to the coronavirus lockdown.
District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that Assange had absconded before and said that Belmarsh prison is following government guidelines to protect detainees with no confirmed virus cases there yet.
The article continues by saying:
She accepted that government advice may change rapidly but for the time being she denied strict bail for the 48-year-old.
“As matters stand today this global pandemic does not, of itself, yet provide grounds for Mr Assange’s release,”
Judge Baraitser ruled.
“In my view there are substantial grounds to believe that if released today he would not return to face his extradition hearing. There are no conditions that allay this concern and this application is therefore refused.”
